Hello Friends :)   I hope this True Yoga Blog post finds you well.  I am writing a quick post before I head out of town this Wednesday morning.  I’ll be going to Portland, Oregon to visit a couple of friends.  They are longtime friends of mine from my childhood.  I’ve known them since I was only 6 years old.  That’s a long time.  What a blessing it is to have lifelong friends.  My friend Brinn and I took ballet together when we were in first grade.  We carpooled but we were also friends from school, too.  We were friends all the way throughout grade school and high school.  We lost touch a little bit in college but reconnected several years ago around the time of our ten year reunion from high school.  When she got married three years ago I went to her wedding in Portland and I reconnected with her older sister then, as well.  Her sister and I didn’t know each other really well in school, but we’ve become friends in the last couple of years.  I had a chance to hang out with her at the wedding and we had a lot of fun.  I’m really glad I’ll be getting to see them both.  It’s especially cathartic seeing them since my father passed away almost two years ago.  Our families went to the same church going up and her parents knew my parents pretty well.  Brinn also knew my father from spending so much time together when we were teenagers.  It’s really incredible to have people in our lives who have known us almost as long we have known ourselves.  What an amazing thing to think she’s been a part of my life since I was 6.  I’ve realized, in the last several years, how important it is to me to continue to nurture these relationships in my life.  I know many of us have discovered this, as well, especially with facebook and all of that these days.  As great as facebook is, it doesn’t comapre to real human connection.  The people I really care about seeing are the ones I make the effort to see and I can do that with or without facebook.   But, I do love that facebook can help people who have lost touch to find one another.  And, I also think it’s a good social networking platform.  Other than that, I think it can be a bit of a waste of time.  Write a blog instead… ;)

I’ve been wanting to write more about POWA: The Yoga of Death and Dying.  It was such a powerful experience to listen to everything the monk had to say.  I’m not sure I’ll be able to post about it now, as it’s quite late and I need to get some rest, but please know I’ll be back again soon to share more about it. 

I’d like to give you some information that comes from a spiritual teacher of mine, ChiSing.  ChiSing is the spiritual teacher and director of the Dallas Meditation Center.  Since meeting him about three months ago my life has transformed and continues to transform in incredible and positive ways.  He is a true Light in our community and I feel grateful and blessed to know him.  I just attended a meditation there last night and it was so beautiful and fulfilling.  I hope you’ll get to attend a meditation service there soon.  There’s the most amazing music.  Last night Cornell played the the Native American flute before we meditated.  Gary Floyd sang some of his music.  We did a walking meditation and a sitting meditation and we chanted and sang.  Chanting and singing helps one to meditate.  Eventually, I intend to bring you videos of these services, which are amazing, online.  But, until then, I’d like to share some information from ChiSing whenever it feels like there is a message that’s meant to be shared.  This is something he calls 10*10*10* and it is to prepare yourself for the shift in consciousness which is happening individually and collectively as we grow into the transformational time of 2012.  All there is to know is this is a time of great spiritual change and awakening and cultivating spiritual practice in one’s life will support oneself tremendously in aligning with those changes in a positive way within yourself and with everything else.  If you have any questions about this, please feel free to email me at leanne@trueyogainc.com.  I hope this all makes sense to you.  It seems pretty self-explanatory, but again, please do not hesitate to ask.  As I grow spiritually, I’m realizing I can have my faith, which is really a mystical Christianity, but also be open to the wisdom that flows from all the teachings.   Did you know there are Buddhas in every religion, not just Buddhism?  A Buddha is someone who is awakened.  So, there are Christian Buddhas, Jewish Buddhas, Hindu Buddhas, and so on.  It was really powerful for me when I learned that.  That was a big light bulb moment.  There’s a song by Mason Jennings called I love You and Buddha Too.  I like that song.  Here are the lyrics.

Oh Jesus, I love You
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and Mohammed

Why do some people say
That there is just one way
To love You, God, and come to You?
We are all a part of You

You are un-nameable
You are unknowable
All we have is metaphor
That’s what time and space are for

Is the universe Your thought?
You are and You are not
You are many, You are one
Ever ending, just begun

Alright, alright, alright
I love You and Buddha too

Oh Jesus, I love You
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and Mohammed

Why do some people say
That there is just one way
To love You, God and come to You?
We are all a part of You

Alright, alright, alright
I love You and Buddha too

Oh Jesus, I love You
(I love You, Jesus)
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and Mohammed

Why do some people say
(I love You, Jesus)
That there is just one way
To love You God and come to You?
We are all a part of You

You are un-nameable
(I love You, Jesus)
You are unknowable
All we have is metaphor
That’s what time and space are for

Is the universe Your thought?
(I love You, Jesus)
You are and You are not
You are many, You are one
Ever ending, just begun

Alright, alright, alright
(I love You, Jesus)
I love You and Buddha too
Alright, alright, alright
(I love You, Jesus)
I love You and Buddha too

Alright, I’m off to Portland soon and I’m looking forward to some beautiful and breath-giving Nature, but I’ll be back next week with lots more to share.  Blessings to all of us and everyone.   Here is ChiSing’s message.  I hope you find it to be positively powerful for you. 

Dear mindful friends,
 
I am VERY excited to share with you this upcoming Spiritual Practice Period from Sunday, August 1 through 10-10-10.  Please prepare yourselves for this practice this week.  Re-prioritize and re-arrange your schedule so that you can go deep into this practice for the next 10 weeks.  Your life will be radically transformed as we prepare for the next wave in October of the Great Shift that is taking place in consciousness worldwide.
Here are the TEN SPIRITUAL PRACTICES:
 
1)  10*10*10 “Easy Amitabha Practice” –  This is the “default” practice during these next 10 weeks.  If you practice nothing else in this list, this is the one to stay consistent with.  Its effectiveness will be weakened if you do not practice it consistently during these 10 weeks.  This is an ancient spiritual practice from Chinese Buddhism, and millions of practitioners, both past and present, can testify to its power.  I have adapted it for our modern Western lifestyle.  Here is the practice:
     Chant a mantra (preferrably a 10-syllable mantra) 10 times during 10 periods of the day.  The mantra I recommend is the 10-syllable mantra “OM NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHAYA” (Gratitude to the Infinite Light of Awakening).  You can also chant a shorter version of this mantra by simply chanting “AMITABHA” (Infinite Light).  Other variations are “OM AMITABHA HRIH” or “OM AMIDEVA HRIH” (Infinite Divine Reality).  If you prefer the Divine Feminine manifestation of the Buddha, then you may chant “NAMO AVOLOKITESHVARAYA” (10 syllables) or “NAMO GUAN SHI YIN PUSA” (Quan Yin) or “OM MANI PADME HUM” (Jewel Lotus) which evokes the Buddha/Bodhisattva of Compassion, one of the major emanations of Amitabha.
     Simply put, the practice is to chant “OM NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHAYA” 10 times (which takes about 1 minute) during 10 periods of every day for the next 10 weeks:
     1.  Upon waking
     2.  Before breakfast
     3.  After breakfast
     4.  Before work
     5.  Before lunch
     6.  After lunch
     7.  After work
     8.  Before dinner
     9.  After dinner
   10.  At bedtime
 
2)  Daily Meditation — (preferrably at least 20 minutes twice a day before breakfast and before dinner).
 
3)  Weekly Sangha — Attend group meditation every week.  The minimum is once a month.
 
4)  Meditation Retreat – Attend a meditation retreat sometime during this 10-week period.  It could be a weeklong retreat, or a weekend retreat, or even just a daylong retreat, but the minimum is a half-day retreat (at least 3 or 4 hours).
 
5)  Nature – Spend time regularly in Nature (preferrably in silence).
 
6)  Gratitude — Practice reciting out loud for at least 3 minutes nonstop all that you feel grateful for, or all that is positive, or at least all that is not bad.  If you do this every day alone or with a friend, you will notice a major shift in your energy.  The minimum is to practice this once a week, preferrably with a friend, taking turns.
 
7)  Journal-writing & Dharma-reading — Buy a new journal and write in it every day or at least once a week.  And read good spiritual Dharma books during this period.  Immerse your mind in positive teachings.  And express yourself on paper.
 
8)  Yoga / Qigong — If you don’t already practice Yoga or Qigong, then this is the best time to start.  Take a gentle Yoga class or energizing Qigong class.  There are several to choose from at the Dallas Meditation Center and other places.  You will be amazed at how much this supports your meditation practice and your spiritual growth.
 
9)  Semi-Vegetarian Diet – Consciously cut back on your meat consumption.  When eating meat, choose fish over other forms.  The next best would be poultry.  Eliminate or cut back on pork and beef.  Eat more fresh vegetables.  Perhaps take a vegetarian cooking class.  There are several great vegetarian restaurants, such as “Veggie Garden” on Arapaho Rd. @ Custer Rd. in Richardson, Texas.  Consider having at least one vegetarian meal per day, and maybe one day a week that is completely vegetarian.
 
10)  “Dana” (Generosity) & “Seva” (Service) – Consider making a donation of $10 each week during this Spiritual Practice Period to the Dallas Meditation Center.  Or give a one-time gift of $108.  Or $1,000.  And serve through volunteer work here or elsewhere.  Dana and seva are at the very heart of our practice.  Amitabha! 
 
In Gratitude to the Infinite Light of our Awakening,
Brother ChiSing